In karting, the IAME brand really needs few introductions. Founded in 1968 by Bruno Grana, Italian American Motor Engineering (this is the full name of the Italian company, to find out why read “Editorial – Paolo Condè tells how the story of how Iame began“) is none other than one of the most major engine manufacturers on the entire world karting scene. In the abundant half century of its history, IAME has produced over 100 engine models and, moreover, has collected innumerable successes, among which we cannot fail to mention the over 20 world titles (won by leading drivers such as Fernando Alonso , Nyck De Vries and Mike Wilson, just to name a few).

IAME SERIES: CLASSES AND ENGINES

As mentioned, the single-brand championships promoted by IAME provide...

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It is on these solid foundations that the IAME Series is based, the single-brand championships promoted by the Italian company and which have the IAME X30 engine line as their main protagonist. The competitions, spread across over 40 countries around the world, allow kart drivers of all levels to compete in eight main classes (with some differences and specificities from country to country). The subject of this "Under examination" by TKART is precisely the IAME X30 125 cc, the engine intended for the Senior, Master Pro and Master Gentleman classes (but which, with the simple attachment of the special exhaust manifold, is also used in the X30 class Junior): we took it apart and analysed it with the help of IAME staff. Furthermore, we tested it on the engine test bench and we show you the graphs of the tests carried out regarding its torque and power. It all began in 2005, when IAME, drawing on the know-how gained thanks to the Leopard model (the TaG, Touch and Go, 125 cc with the characteristics of a 100 cc), launched the first X30 engine which had, among other things, a countershaft, as the amateur market of the time required. Precisely because of its origins, the X30 engine carries within it a piece of karting history, or rather the "technical spirit" of those 100 cc engines now extinct due to the advent of KF engines, first, and OK engines, later. In fact, the latter types of engines, with the introduction of the exhaust valve and the limitation of the maximum rpm, give a delivery and a driving feeling far from those of the historic "hundred". The X30, on the other hand, has a strong link with those engines of the past which can be seen in the characteristic three-port timing system, which still allows you to perceive the fluidity of delivery typical of those types of cylinders in the present day. To simplify, the X30 recalls a 100 cc "sweetened" in its delivery and made more reliable.